I am a member of the Disney Vacation Club who joined it back when it was first launched by Disney. I am also a Gold member of the Castaway Club. I was shocked to learn that members of the Disney Vacation Club are being charged more than the general public for Disney Cruises. As I understand the root cause, it is that the contracted rate between the Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Vacation Club is higher than the rate available to those who book directly with Disney Cruises. Further the terms and conditions for those who book through the Vacation Club are worse than those who book directly with the Disney Cruise Line.
I discovered this when booking the 6/10/2017 seven nights Western Caribbean Cruise on the Disney Fantasy. The comparison is as follows:
Direct with Disney Cruise
On all my previous Disney Cruises I did not have visibility to the fact that I was being overcharged as I used vacation points to cover both parties. This time I had visibility as I needed to pay for one passenger with vacation points and one with dollars.
When I learned that I was getting overcharged for the passenger I was planning to pay dollars for, I decided to look at value for vacation points used to book a Disney Cruise. I discovered that when I used vacation points I was getting an even worse deal. The one passenger that I was paying for with points cost 389 points. I compute the value received per point to be $6.19 (computed as follows: $2609.41 - $200.00 / 389 ). Compare this to a week in a one bedroom at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in June (same month as the cruise) which costs $2739.73. or 241 vacation points. This yields an $11.37 value per point.
I discovered this when booking the 6/10/2017 seven nights Western Caribbean Cruise on the Disney Fantasy. The comparison is as follows:
Direct with Disney Cruise
- Cost per person $2,609.41
- On Ship Credit: $200
- Terns Deposit of $248.22, Balance due on 3/12/17
- Cost per person: over $2,800
- On Ship Credit: none
- Terms: Pay in full at the time of booking
On all my previous Disney Cruises I did not have visibility to the fact that I was being overcharged as I used vacation points to cover both parties. This time I had visibility as I needed to pay for one passenger with vacation points and one with dollars.
When I learned that I was getting overcharged for the passenger I was planning to pay dollars for, I decided to look at value for vacation points used to book a Disney Cruise. I discovered that when I used vacation points I was getting an even worse deal. The one passenger that I was paying for with points cost 389 points. I compute the value received per point to be $6.19 (computed as follows: $2609.41 - $200.00 / 389 ). Compare this to a week in a one bedroom at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in June (same month as the cruise) which costs $2739.73. or 241 vacation points. This yields an $11.37 value per point.